Head coach Nick Saban met with the media after practice for his final appearance of the week before the team travels to Oxford on Friday.

"We had good work today," We got chased inside because of the rain. This is the kind of game as a competitor you really look forward to. (The) opportunity to play in a difficult environment, SEC game, in our division, against a very good opponent. We've got a lot of respect for Ole Miss."

The Rebels will give Alabama a lot of trouble when they're on offense. Matt Luke's team brings in one of the nation's top passing attacks with a loaded group of wide receivers.

"I think this is the biggest challenge they're going to have to date in terms of the quality of receivers that we're going to have to play against, and the scheme that they use, and the quarterback that they have, and the balance that they have on offense."

Here's what else Saban talked about on Wednesday:

He stressed that the message the staff is trying to get across is meeting the standard set in the program and not waiting until a catastrophic event makes it happen.

The defensive backs and how he's managing the players he has.

What makes the Ole Miss wide receivers so dangerous.

Kicker Joseph Bulovas has been confident kicking and the plan is for him to take over that role.

What makes the Alabama receiving group so effective and what do they bring to the field.

He went into detail on fast-tempo offenses and how every team has seemed to move that direction and why it's a challenge to face.